Transmission-gear for motor-vehicles.



J. LAVIOLETTB. TRANSMISSION GEAR FOB MOTOR VEHICLES.

Patented July 28, 19M

APPLICATION TILED NOVFB, 19 13.

J. LAVIOIQBTTE. TRANSMISSION GEAR FOB MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILEDNil-Y. 3, 1913.

1,104,809. Patgnted Ji11y 2v8,1914.-

v2 8HEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIII II cluding the differential mechanism, in suchOFFICE.

JOSEPH LAVIOLETTE, 0F AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

TRANSMISSION-GEAR lion iuoroa-vnnronns.

moaeoo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1914..

Application filed November 3, 1913. Serial No. 798,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH LAVIOLET'I'E, residing at 103 Sarphatipark,Amsterdam, Netherlands, have invented new and useful Improvements inTransmission-Gear for Motor-Vehicles.

This invention has for its object to provide an arrangement by means ofwhich it is possible to group in a single block, in front of the chassisof a motor vehicle, the engine and the transmission members 1na mannerthat the latter mechanism is arranged above the front axle of thevehicle and can drive the front wheels thereof by means of jointedspindles, which front wheels thus become driving and steering wheels.Such an arrangement has many advantages over the arrangements hithertoknown.

The wholemechanism is inclosed in a 5mgle rigid air-tightly closedcasing and forms a single block, that is to say, is capable of beingquickly fixed and removed.- The whole of the said mechanism is arrangedin front of the chassis, under the bonnet, that is. to say, in an easilyaccessible manner as regards all the parts. The back of the chassisis-unencumbered by any mechanism. The rear axle which is no longer usedfor propulsion, is considerably lightened, and the tires of the rearwheels thus wear much less, while the rear suspension is much softer.The non-suspended weight of the front axle is considerably reduced, andin this way the front suspension considerably improved. The vehicletherefore keeps better to the road and has a better efficlency. Aconstruction according to this inven tion is illustrated, merely by wayof example, in the accompanying drawin in which Figure 1 is anelevation, partly in longitudinal section, showing the engine and thechange speed gear combined into a single block in front of the chassisof a motor' vehicle; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken parallel toFig. 1 and made on a somewhat enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a partialtransverse section on line 2-2 of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the driving ofthe front wheels from the differential mechanism by means of jointedspindles; Fig. 4 1s a horizontal section of part of the mechanism on anenlarged scale, showing the control of the clutch and the brakemechanism acting on the end of the longitudinal transmission 'shaft; andFig. 5 is a vertical section on :line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the slidingof the disk acting on the clutch disks.

In the drawing, 5 is one of the longitudinal members of the frame, 6 thegear case of the engine, 7 an extension of the said gear case containingthe clutch 8, the change speed gear parts and partsofthe differentialmechanism.

9 is a casing forming a drum of the inner brake acting on thetransmission shaft.

10 is an end box or casing surrounding the control of the clutch. Theworm 11 drives f the toothed rim 12 provided on the casing or shell 13surrounding the differential mechanism 14.

15 is the speed lever acting on the loose i gears by means of rods suchas 16.

17 is a pedal controlling the clutch by means of a rod 18 and of a lever19.

20 is the bonnet covering the whole of the engine and of the changespeed gear.

21 shows the starting crank.

22 is one of the front suspension springs.

23 is the front axle with hollow journals such as 24.

Each of the spindles 25 of the differential is connected by means of auniversal 'oint 26 to a cross-shaft 27 which drives the ub 28 of thewheel 29 by means ofan extensible universal joint 30. The sleeve 31forming support for ball bearings 32 of the wheel 29, is mounted on twovertical pins 33 provided outside on the hollow journal 24. A sleeve 34is provided at its ends with pivoted tight joints 35 35 and completelyincloses the cross-shaft 27 which, in its rotation, carries around thewheel 29.

At the back, the single gear case 6, 7 containing the mechanism, engineand the change speed gear, is secured to the longitudinal members 5 ofthe frame by means of two lateral attaching lugs such as 36. In front,the said gear case is secured at one point by means of a lug 37 on thecross bar 38 connecting together the longitudinal members of the frame.

The crank-shaft 39 of the engine carries near one end the fly wheel 40,and at the other the cup 41 of the clutch 8 which is for instance of thetyp with multipl metal disks 42. In the said cup is mounted rotatabl'yin a ball bearing 42, the end of the primary shaft 43 of the changespeed gear. This primary shaft is hollow and a sleeve for a solid innerspindle 44 ,F."?OV1(1Bd at its end with a disk 45 which slide in theinterior. of the cup 41, by scans of tenons 46 slidin in grooves 47formed in the interior of t e cup 41. The spindle 44 is provided at itsother end with clutch spring and exerting a pull on the said spindle 44.The said spring 51 rests on the ball stop 52 and its other end acts onthe head 48 of the spindle 44 so as to pull the said shaft in thedirection of the arrow (Fig. 3).

The sleeve 43 forming the primary shaft of the change speed gear, isprovided on its end penetrating into the cup '41, with a drum 53 onwhich are mounted in a sliding manner the inner disks of the clutch. Theouter disks of the same clutch are mounted in a sliding manner in thecup 41. The sleever43 carries the usual loose ears which can be broughtsuccessively into engagement with the corresponding gears of thesecondary shaft 54 which transmits the movement to a hollow shaft 55forming continuation of the hollow shaft 43 and rotating on the, solidspindle 44. The transmission is effected by the gearing 56, 57. Aclawolutch 58, 59 makes it possible to obtain transmission direct fromthe hollow shaft 43 to the hollow shaft 55 which carries a worm 11driving the toothed rim 12 mounted on the casin 13 of the differential14. The lever 19. orms a stirrup 60 which, by means of two ball rollers61, acts on an extension 62 of the head 48 mounted on the spindle 44. Bypressing on the pedal 17 the driver, through the agency of the rod 18,pulls the lever 19 pivoted at 63,-which causes the movement of the solidspindle 44 in the direction of the arrow shown dotted (Fig. 1). Comequently, the disk 45 ceases to exercise pressure through the spring 51on the disks 8, and the hollow spindle 43 is no longer driven by theshaft 39 of the engine.

As shown in Fig. l, the hollow shaft 55 carrying the worm 11 is mountedon two ball bearings such as 64, 65. A brake drum 66 is mounted with itshub 67 on the end of the hollow shaft 55. An inner brake with expandingsegments 68, of the usual well-known type, is mounted or the fixed disk69 and can be operated in the usual manner by means of a tensionmechanism not shown, also mounted on the said disk.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvent-ion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declarethat what I claim is 1. In a motor vehicle, the front wheels of whichare driving and steering wheels, the combination with a common gear casefor the engine, change speed gear, and the difieren tial mechanism, thesaid gear case being suspended at three points, of two cross-shaftsjointed by means of a Cardan joint to the shafts of the differential, oftwo hollow journals provided at the ends of the front axle and carryingtwo vertical pins, of an extensible universal joint for coupling eachcross-shaft to the hub of each driving wheel, of a sleeve on whichrotates the hub of each driving wheel which sleeve is mounted pivotallyon two vertical pins of the hollow journal, and of a sleeve protectingeach cross-shaft and connected to the hollow journal and to the gearcase of the change speed gear by means of air tight joints withspherical surfaces.

2. In a motor vehicle, the front wheels of which are driving andsteering wheels, an engine, a clutch cup mounted at the front end of theengine shaft, a hollow shaft rotating concentrically in the said cup inalinement with the engine shaft and forming the primary shaft of thechange speed gear, a drum or pulley mounted on the said hollow I shaftin the interior of the said cup, a series 'of clutch disks sliding onbut rotating with the said pulley, a series of clutch disks sliding inthe interior of the said cup and participating in its movement ofrotation, the latter disks being arranged between the disks mounted onthe pulley, a solid spindle rotating in the interior of the hollow shaftin line with the engine shaft, a disk mounted at the end of the saidsolid spindle for acting by pressure on theclutch disks the said diskssliding in the interior of the cup but rotating with the latter, aclutch spring actingto move the solid spindle longitudinally for thepurpose of pressing the clutch disks against each other by means of thesaid disk, a second hollow shaft arranged in line with the first andsurrounding the solid spindle a worm cut on the said second hollo vvshaft and engaging with a corresponding toothed wheel mounted on thecasing of the difi'ere'ntial mechanism, a series of'loose gears mountedon the first hollow shaft forming the primary shaft of the change speedgear which gear wheels can be brought 'ipto engagement with thecorresponding gear wheels mounted on a shaft parallel to the said hollowshaft and forming the secondary shaft of the change speed gear, a gearwheel mounted on the second hollow shaft for enga ing with acorresponding gear wheel of t e above-mentioned second ary shaft, a clawclutch provided on the gear wheel of the second hollow spindle and I onthe adjoining loose gearof the first hollow shaft, a head mounted at theend of the solid'spindle, a throwing into gear spring acting on the saidhead, a starting handle which can engage with the said head, adisengagingx lever operated by a pedal for acting on t e said head inthe direction opposite to that of the throwing into gear spring, at theend of the ment brake arranged in the interior of the said drum andmounted on a fixed disk secured to the gear case of the change speedgear mechanism.

3. In a motor vehicle, the front wheels of which are driving andsteering wheels, a mechanism comprising the engine, the change-speedgear and the difierential connected together in one and the same gearcase forming a single block and mounted in front of the frame, a frontaxle with hollow journals, laminated suspension springs provided betweenthe frame and the axle, a differential -mechanism mounted in the gearcase of the change speed gear and having the same axial plane as that ofthe axle, a ever for controllm the loose gears of the chan e speed gear,w ich lever is mounted on t e common gear case forming a single block, abrake mechanism rovided in front of the ear case for the change speedear and the ifferential, a case secured in lront of the said gear caseand arranged in front of the brake mechanism, the said second gear casecontainin the disengaging mechanism, a starting andle rotatably mountedin the front end of the said gear case, the'whole substantially ashereinbefore described and shown in the drawing and for. the purposesillustrated. v

' In testimon whereof I aflix my signature .in presence 0 two witnesses.

g, JOSEPH LAVIOLETTE. Witnesses:

J. Panm'rn, CHAS. ROY N ASMETH.

